Pearl Harbor/Transcript
Transcript Text reads: The Mysteries of Life with Tim and Moby A boy, Tim, and a robot, Moby, are visiting the Pearl Harbor Memorial. They examine a list of casualties from the attack. TIM: Man. Every one of these crewmen is buried here with the ship. MOBY: Beep. Tim reads from a typed letter. TIM: Dear Tim and Moby, I heard that Pearl Harbor was the biggest surprise attack ever. Did America really not see it coming? From, Melanie. TIM: It's true, Melanie. December seventh, nineteen forty-one was a quiet morning at the U.S. naval base in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. An animation shows the Pearl Harbor naval base on a quiet morning, with ships floating peacefully just off-shore. TIM: The U.S.S. Nevada's band was starting its daily rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner." An animation shows the band playing on the deck of the ship as an American flag is raised. TIM: Some of the musicians got distracted by explosions in the distance. Explosions can be heard. The band continues to play. TIM: Target practice, they figured, or maybe a drill. Most everyone at the base assumed the same thing. Animations show swarms of planes flying above the ship and naval base. Navy personnel look up at all of the activity. MOBY: Beep. TIM: On the band's final notes, the deck was sprayed with gunfire. An animation shows a plane peppering the ship's deck with gunfire. Members of the band and other ship personnel run for cover. TIM: The whole sky darkened with planes bearing the Japanese rising sun. An animation shows a Japanese plane, marked as Tim describes. TIM: They unleashed a fury of bombs, gunfire, and torpedoes. Our most powerful vessels, the battleships, were the main target. All eight were hit, with the worst blast shredding the U.S.S. Arizona. More than one thousand men went down with the sinking ship. Animations depict the events Tim describes. MOBY: Beep. TIM: There was no time to mount a defense, and the United States suffered a huge defeat. But it's not like the attack came as a complete surprise. MOBY: Beep. TIM: For years, Japan had been waging an imperialist campaign. They were taking over territories in East Asia, creating an empire. An animation shows a map of East Asia. Areas are highlighted in red to indicate territories controlled by Japan, including Korea and parts of China. TIM: In the decade or so before the attack, its size had increased more than ten times. The wealth and resources from these areas were poured back into Japan's war machine, and that let them expand even more. The animation shows gold and resources moving from the territories indicated on the map to Japan. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Eventually, Japan's ambition to conquer all of Asia crossed the line. Its armies slaughtered thousands of Chinese civilians in the Nanjing Massacre. An animation shows a swarm of Japanese planes dropping bombs on a busy Chinese city. Armed soldiers take to the ground, terrifying civilians. TIM: The world was outraged, but nobody wanted to get involved in a far-off war. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Well, the U.S. was caught up in the Great Depression. The economic slump demanded most of the government's attention, and the losses of World War One were still fresh in Americans' minds. Animations show an unemployed worker, a breadline, and a military cemetery in the United States. TIM: President Roosevelt promised to use peaceful means for dealing with Japan. An image shows President Franklin D. Roosevelt. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Instead of resorting to force, Roosevelt tried restricting trade. America was still supplying Japan with most of its oil and steel. An animation shows Roosevelt, in a wheelchair, shutting down the flow of an oil pipeline. The pipeline runs from America to Japan, where there are many factories, ships, and planes. TIM: An embargo, halting the shipments, might stop Japan's military machine. The ships and planes disappear. TIM: Roosevelt also demanded an immediate withdrawal from China. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Nope. Japan simply decided to get their raw materials elsewhere. And, in nineteen forty, they made a pact with Germany and Italy, forming the Axis Powers. Images show the leaders of Japan, Germany, and Italy. TIM: Japan was now involved in World War Two, which had begun in Europe the year before. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Publicly, Japan and the U.S. still expressed hope of avoiding open warfare. They even held talks to negotiate a peace treaty. Animations show Roosevelt and the leader of Japan on the phone with each other. TIM: Behind closed doors, Japan's military leaders were hatching a different plan. The two end their phone conversation. In Japan, military authorities are having a secret meeting. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Their prime minister, General Hideki Tojo, wanted to attack first. A preemptive strike could decimate America's Pacific Fleet. An animation shows Tojo and other leaders plotting strategy, using a tabletop map of the world. TIM: Japan would take the upper hand in a battle that seemed inevitable. Their head of state, Emperor Hirohito, had his doubts. Hirohito joins the strategy meeting. TIM: But Tojo and his top admirals had made up their minds. The Japanese military leaders lay out attack plans, positioning miniature planes and ships on their tabletop world map. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Japan began secret preparations for the Pearl Harbor attack. Their pilots and sailors didn't even know what they were training for. An animation shows a Japanese instructor at a blackboard, giving instructions to a group of soldiers. TIM: But at dawn, on a tranquil Sunday, their mission was made clear. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Over three hundred Japanese fighter planes headed toward the Hawaiian base, just as American servicemen were starting their morning routines. Animations show a swarm of Japanese planes flying across the ocean and closing in on an unprepared Pearl Harbor. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Most servicemen had no time to get to their posts and defend the base, but there were some amazing feats of bravery that day. Two off-duty pilots made it to their airfield before the Japanese bombers. An animation shows a speeding car with its top down. Two pilots are in the car, racing toward their parked planes. They reach the planes, get in, and take off. TIM: They flew into the fray and shot down six enemy planes. An animation depicts the event Tim describes. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Actually, Moby, it was just a drop in the bucket. Most U.S. fighters were destroyed before anyone could get to them. In just over two hours, Pearl Harbor was in ruins, with two thousand four hundred Americans dead. An animation depicts the attack as Tim describes it. TIM: It was one of the most devastating defeats in American history. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Despite their lopsided victory, Japan made one huge miscalculation. They thought the fight would break America's spirit, undermining our will to fight. But, inspired by FDR, the public demanded action. An animation shows Roosevelt standing at a podium, giving a speech to the United States Congress. TIM: Roosevelt called December seventh, nineteen forty-one, a date which will live in infamy. Within a week, Congress declared war on all the Axis Powers. The United States had officially entered World War Two, on the side of the Allied nations. Images show flags of the United States, England, France, and the Soviet Union. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Pearl Harbor was severely weakened our Pacific naval forces. Japan immediately invaded territories America could no longer defend. It was months before the U.S. fleet was totally restored, and a year before ground troops managed to take back a single island. An animated map of East Asia illustrates the spread of Japanese control from Japan outward. TIM: By the war's end in nineteen forty-five, millions of people had died in the Pacific. And two Japanese cities had been destroyed by nuclear weapons. The map shows the area of Japanese control receding. Animated images indicate the locations of the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. TIM: But Pearl Harbor's consequences were felt on the home front, too. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Japanese-Americans, particularly on the west coast, were targets of racist policies. An animation shows anti-Japanese posters on a brick wall. TIM: Their loyalty to the United States was questioned. An animation shows a Japanese husband, wife, and child looking at the posters with concern. TIM: Roosevelt forced hundreds of thousands of these American citizens into internment camps. They lived in shabby conditions, under the constant watch of guards. A fence appears, confining the Japanese family. A guard with a large German Shepherd walks past them. They are now in a detention camp. TIM: Their livelihoods were ruined and their property seized, never to be returned. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Yeah. Wartime fears often bring out the worst in people, even while the stress of battle is bringing out the best in others. Like Samuel Fuqua, who led dozens of Arizona crewmen to safety. Afterwards, he pulled sailors from the water while bombs were still dropping. An animation shows Samuel Fuqua, dressed in a naval uniform, guiding fellow servicemen to safety during the attack. TIM: That tragic day is filled with similar stories of grace under pressure. MOBY: Beep. TIM: After World War Two, America developed deep economic and cultural ties with Japan. They're now our closest ally in East Asia. And December seventh, nineteen forty-one is not so much a day of infamy, but a time to pay respects to old adversaries and to recognize our shared losses. An animation shows two elderly veterans, one American and one Japanese, mourning together at a World War Two memorial at Pearl Harbor. 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